A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane into Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members were injured.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five individuals, and transported three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.
The event represents the newest example of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.
Paramedics indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and more severe.
In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet passing through rough air masses generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.
